Too often in basketball fans mostly love the offense. Players such as Steph Curry nailing three-point shots from ridiculous spots on the floors. All the step-back shots or the high-flying dunks will be all the rage. However, the defense is still what separates the good teams from the great ones.
The Longhorns are currently tied for first place in Big 12 play with Baylor. Both teams sitting at the top with 4-0 records in conference play. The Bears are winning by massive margins and showing they are heads and shoulders above the rest. When these two teams finally meet on the court, expect a hard-fought battle.
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A lot of the success for Texas this season is coming on the defensive end of the court. Unlike other sports, the defense can pay immediate dividends to the offense. A blocked shot or a steal can lead to an offensive score quickly. Shaka Smart’s squad is playing good defense and they lead the conference in defensive field goal percentage.
- Texas- 0.383
- Texas Tech- 0.390
- Oklahoma State- 0.398
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It doesn’t just apply to field goal percentage but also the three-point shot. The Horns are able to rotate their defense and get out to the perimeter to eliminate the easy shots. Once again they are the best in the conference in this statistical category.
- Texas- 0.271
- Iowa State- 0.283
- West Virginia- 0.291
It is a much-improved effort than the defense played with last year.
| Statistic | 2019 | 2020 |
| FG Defense | .433 | .383 |
| 3Pt FG Def | .322 | .271 |
Inside the paint, the Longhorns are one of the bigger teams with Jericho Sims, Greg Brown, Kai Jones, and Royce Hamm Jr. They are all standing at 6’9″ or taller. This gives them an advantage inside and they are paying dividends. Texas leads the Big 12 in defensive rebounding with 29.5/game.
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